Growing Forward

Duke Gardens is entering a new chapter in its 85 years as one of Duke University’s beloved places on campus. Known as the Garden Gateway, this transformational renovation and expansion project is designed to enrich the experience for all visitors and to accommodate the garden’s dramatic growth in the past decade.

The Garden Gateway will create:

• A safer, more accessible entrance to the Gardens
• A new welcome center with a cafe, gallery, upgraded restroom amenities and outdoor gathering space that will deepen visitor engagement
• Expanded classroom and learning areas that will strengthen university and community education and partnerships
• Renovated event facilities in the Doris Duke Center that will increase capacity for rentals, events and weddings and support the long-term financial stability of the Gardens
• Expanded green spaces designed for events and enjoyment.

The $30 million project, which was funded by private contributions, including lead gifts from The Duke Endowment, will elevate Duke Gardens as a vibrant hub for students, the university community and the public.

“The Garden Gateway project is a forward-looking solution that reaffirms Duke Gardens as a beautiful world-class destination that inspires transformative learning, promotes wellness and builds community,” said Duke Gardens executive director Bill LeFevre. “We have listened to students, faculty, alumni and the community to envision how the Gardens can evolve to better meet their needs and retain the qualities that make it a special place.”

Duke Gardens is a place where Duke University opens its doors to Durham and the world, and in recent years, the number of visitors has risen dramatically. Mary Eubanks, a retired biology professor who has been involved with the Gardens for more than 30 years, has noticed the changes. “We once were very local, a university garden with mostly Durham people. Now we’ve grown to more than 600,000 visitors a year. People come from all over the world, and the Gardens have become a public resource, not just a university treasure,” she said.

As the popularity of Duke Gardens has grown, so has the need for more space and facilities to support visitors.

The centerpiece of the Garden Gateway is a new Welcome Center that will serve as a focal point to orient guests and provide upgraded amenities for a world-class botanical garden experience.  “For an organism to live, it has to grow,” says Len Thomas, a longtime Duke Gardens volunteer. “The Garden Gateway Project recognizes this—it’s about making the Gardens an even better asset for the community through growth that’s tasteful and respectful.”

The Welcome Center will create a true entry point to the Gardens, including an information area with maps and guides to point out seasonal highlights and answer questions. An enclosed gallery space, classrooms and expanded outdoor seating areas will support a wide range of educational programs and community events, including visits from area school groups and Duke University classes. A new designated drop-off spot for buses and more gentle grading on walkways will improve safety for all pedestrians.

One of the much-anticipated additions at the Welcome Center is a café with expanded space for indoor and outdoor gatherings. It’s a place where the university, the community and visitors from across the globe can pause to experience peace and beauty.

“For families at Duke Health, the Gardens are a place to step away from the stress of hospital life, even if just for a moment,” says Valerie Sabol, RN, PhD, Clinical Professor and Chair for the Division of Healthcare in Adult Populations at Duke University School of Nursing. “The Gardens really represent the intersection between the environment and human health.”

For Dio Parker, working at Duke Gardens has been a transformative experience. “I was a very indoors kid, and after quarantine, it took me a while to adjust to being outside all day,” says Parker, who began at the Gardens through the Rising Stars Internship Program and later became a camp counselor. “But it was worth it. Duke Gardens is such a beautiful place, and working there gave me a deeper appreciation for nature than I’d ever had before.”

The Welcome Center will also expand opportunities for education. “Duke Gardens is one of those spaces where our students can be part of something bigger,” says Gregory Lewis, who works with students with autism as Occupational Course of Studies coordinator for Durham School of the Arts. “They contribute to the community and are seen for their abilities, not their disabilities.”

With the new Welcome Center at the heart of the Garden Gateway Project, Duke Gardens will continue to grow, while ensuring this special place remains one where the world is always welcome.

Duke Gardens is the setting for so many memorable experiences. A place where couples meet and fall in love. A respite from classes, roommates and the pressures of campus life. A calm oasis to reconnect with nature and take stock of what matters most. The backdrop for graduation photos and pictures of friendships made during those formative years at Duke.

It should be no surprise that Duke Gardens is a top location for alumni to celebrate milestones like weddings and reunions, and for university departments to host events, including advisory board meetings, that welcome graduates and donors back to campus. In recent years, the Doris Duke Center has hosted up to 200 events each year, making it one of the busiest venues in the region.

Duke Gardens director of special events Marcia Julien notes that the staff has been keeping up with demand, but the venue is showing signs of strain. “The Doris Duke Center is a beautiful building, but it was not built to function solely as an event space. There are also staff offices, a classroom, a gift shop and the information desk, and sometimes we’re on top of each other,” she explains.

The Garden Gateway will streamline operations, relocating the information desk, classroom and some offices to the newly created Welcome Center. The Doris Duke Center will undergo important renovations to enhance events, including an expansion of the indoor event space, Kirby Horton Hall, to accommodate up to 160 people, the addition of a new outdoor patio and an enlarged catering kitchen. The classroom will be converted to the Iris Room, a private space for wedding parties and event staging, one of the most requested features from guests.

Kathy Wright, director of special events in the Duke Alumni Engagement and Development office, frequently hosts programs at the Doris Duke Center. “Bringing alumni, donors and board members to Duke Gardens is a great way to connect them with the educational and environmental stewardship mission of the university. The expanded meeting space will provide a beautiful location for gatherings and serve as inspiration to meet the climate commitment goals that Duke has prioritized,” she says. She looks forward to hosting day-long events at the Gardens, with more indoor and outdoor space to allow guests to transition from meetings to tours and receptions, concluding with a dinner program. “Duke Gardens is a universal attraction for alumni. It taps into some of their best experiences during their time as students, and they’re always happy to return,” Wright reveals.

Julien acknowledges that some people will be disappointed that Duke Gardens will not be available to host weddings or parties until the Garden Gateway renovations are complete in Spring 2026. “We know that people dream of celebrating their important life events with us. The planned changes to the Doris Duke Center will make those gatherings much more seamless, as we’ll be able to meet the expectations of the wedding party, the event planner or the reunion committee,” she says.  She points out that the new layout will make it easier for guests to move between the reception area and the Gardens, and that there will be enough covered space for guests to gather in the event of rain.

The renovation of the Doris Duke Center will also support the long-term financial stability of Duke Gardens. More space and resources will give rise to more events and revenue, and in turn, create more relationships and more memories.

A key objective of the Garden Gateway is to enhance the Duke Gardens experience by expanding green spaces around the new Welcome Center and Doris Duke Center. From the moment guests enter the Gardens via Anderson Street, a seasonally changing landscape along the entrance drive and into the parking lot, where tree islands will be established among the parking spaces, will offer a “green” introduction to the treasures you will find throughout the Gardens.

Director of horticulture Bobby Mottern says the Garden Gateway will help visitors find their way around the gardens and make new discoveries. “The first thing they will see is a ‘green wall’ at the entrance, followed by a courtyard with border and container plantings, turf areas close to tree canopies and lots of perennials, small trees and shrubs to provide changing color throughout the year,” he said.

The clearly defined entrance will feature signs and maps directing visitors to special plant collections. “It’s been somewhat hit-or-miss without an obvious central location for guests to get information. Now visitors will be able to see signs pointing out what’s in bloom and talk to guides who can answer questions and direct them to new spaces,” Mottern said, adding that these are a few examples of how the Garden Gateway supports the core educational mission of Duke Gardens.

One of the most dramatic new green spaces will be located on the eastern side of the Doris Duke Center, where a parking lot will be removed to create a sloping lawn and space for outdoor events, performances and gatherings.

Overall, the amount of green space in Duke Gardens will increase by approximately 10,000 square feet, a notable achievement given the limited options to expand the footprint of the gardens, which border campus and an urban corridor. The project also will invest in significant infrastructure upgrades to support sustainability and environmental responsibility. In fact, the Garden Gateway will be one of the first building projects on campus to follow Duke’s High Performance Building Framework, which outlines rigorous sustainable design standards and a new tracking and rating system to examine how facilities perform in the long term.

Those who work at Duke Gardens are watching the changes with interest. Isaac Lund began as a work-study student in 2016 while completing his master’s degree at Duke’s Divinity School. He has since joined the horticulture staff, working in the Blomquist Garden of Native Plants. Lund, who grew up in the Pacific Northwest, said he is grateful for the chance to experience all four seasons in North Carolina. “It’s been very special, getting to spend five days a week outdoors. I’ve learned a lot about what the plants are doing, and how the land responds. It’s a unique point of view, and one that people who work inside don’t get to see that often,” he said, encouraging visitors to pay attention to what the garden staff is doing – and ask questions.

Mottern said that those visitor questions are increasingly about how Duke Gardens is responding to climate change. He looks forward to sharing the many green features of the Garden Gateway, and Duke Gardens’ commitment to a green future.

Philanthropic support is the foundation on which the Garden Gateway is built. Our sincerest gratitude extends to the following private donors and foundations who have funded this transformational project in full.

David & Meredith Thacker
Phyllis Scholl Thomas & Alan Curtis
Timothy Warmath & Edward Comber
Bert C. Welch
Corinne & Scott Welsh
Norma & Dick* White
Faye & Warren* Wickersham
Evelyn Rivers Wilbanks
Jennifer & Sandy Williams
Ashley & Ashton Wiltshire
Sara Barron Zablotney
Vivian & James Zelter
Bradley Trent Zimmer

Questions?

Please contact us at gardens@duke.edu.